An instantly recognisable figure thanks to his regular appearances on shows like Mock the Week, Taskmaster and 8 out of 10 Cats, Rob Beckett returns to the Cliffs Pavilion for an evening of stand-up comedy without frills or extravagance, but with plenty of the salt-of-the-earth charm and impetuousness that audiences have come to expect from the self-styled “Mouth of the South”.
It is clear from the open stage and basic, functional set that this is to be stand-up in its purest and simplest form: comic and microphone, one chair for Beckett to occasionally use within a “bit”, and a small table with a glass of water. There are no grand set pieces, no special effects, and – slightly more surprisingly – no warm-up act.
The show opens with a musical/voice-over sequence that doesn’t entirely land, but thankfully it gathers pace and momentum extremely quickly once Beckett takes to the stage. His style, like his production, is no-fuss and convincingly spontaneous, and his earnest (and familiarly Southern) charisma plays predictably well in Southend, which Beckett delightedly informs us is “just fifty minutes” from his house. He has particular fun interacting with audience members in the front rows, memorably learning about Montessori education, and earning genuine raucous laughter during an exchange with a retired lady who lives “like an emperor” with breakfast in bed every day.
Wallop itself does not seem to be especially tightly themed; Beckett’s style benefits from – indeed, perhaps demands – a certain freedom and relatively loose structure. There is an amusingly chaotic feel to his routine: while the jokes are almost all lengthy anecdotes and stories, they veer in subject matter from Centre Parcs, to drag queens, to recycling, and plenty in between. Beckett has been working in stand-up since 2009 and, as one might expect, his material and delivery is extremely effective. Particular highlights of the evening’s routine are sequences on skiing and ski holidays, and a hilarious examination of accents at home and in Hollywood.
If there is an implicit theme or central motif of the evening, it is family – specifically, Beckett’s family. There are riffs on his children, wife, in-laws, and biological parents and family, all of which provide ample opportunity for the “Mouth of the South” to fondly ridicule his nearest and dearest. Notable also is the near-total absence from his routine of any current affairs or politics – perhaps a welcome relief for an audience who no doubt are accustomed to comedians (and numerous public figures) weighing in on the eventful political landscape in the UK and further afield. Beckett steers clear of any potential controversy in that respect, although there is a brief and slightly dissonant sequence involving Greta Thunberg and environmentalism that drew some applause from the audience, but didn’t quite seem to sit comfortably alongside the rest of Beckett’s admittedly X-rated, but still relentlessly charming, material.
Make no mistake, though, this is a comedian who is working in the metaphorical “Goldilocks Zone”: well-written jokes, with perfectly pitched punchlines, delivered with a gleeful spontaneity and easy, conversational style. Wallop is stand-up in its simplest form, where Beckett allows himself a blank slate, with total creative freedom to wander and excite. The result is a delight, and a resounding success.
The “Mouth of the South” returns to the Cliffs Pavilion with Wallop on the 4th and 7th December 2019 and 12th February 2020.
Review: Ashton Moore
It is clear from the open stage and basic, functional set that this is to be stand-up in its purest and simplest form: comic and microphone, one chair for Beckett to occasionally use within a “bit”, and a small table with a glass of water. There are no grand set pieces, no special effects, and – slightly more surprisingly – no warm-up act.
The show opens with a musical/voice-over sequence that doesn’t entirely land, but thankfully it gathers pace and momentum extremely quickly once Beckett takes to the stage. His style, like his production, is no-fuss and convincingly spontaneous, and his earnest (and familiarly Southern) charisma plays predictably well in Southend, which Beckett delightedly informs us is “just fifty minutes” from his house. He has particular fun interacting with audience members in the front rows, memorably learning about Montessori education, and earning genuine raucous laughter during an exchange with a retired lady who lives “like an emperor” with breakfast in bed every day.
Wallop itself does not seem to be especially tightly themed; Beckett’s style benefits from – indeed, perhaps demands – a certain freedom and relatively loose structure. There is an amusingly chaotic feel to his routine: while the jokes are almost all lengthy anecdotes and stories, they veer in subject matter from Centre Parcs, to drag queens, to recycling, and plenty in between. Beckett has been working in stand-up since 2009 and, as one might expect, his material and delivery is extremely effective. Particular highlights of the evening’s routine are sequences on skiing and ski holidays, and a hilarious examination of accents at home and in Hollywood.
If there is an implicit theme or central motif of the evening, it is family – specifically, Beckett’s family. There are riffs on his children, wife, in-laws, and biological parents and family, all of which provide ample opportunity for the “Mouth of the South” to fondly ridicule his nearest and dearest. Notable also is the near-total absence from his routine of any current affairs or politics – perhaps a welcome relief for an audience who no doubt are accustomed to comedians (and numerous public figures) weighing in on the eventful political landscape in the UK and further afield. Beckett steers clear of any potential controversy in that respect, although there is a brief and slightly dissonant sequence involving Greta Thunberg and environmentalism that drew some applause from the audience, but didn’t quite seem to sit comfortably alongside the rest of Beckett’s admittedly X-rated, but still relentlessly charming, material.
Make no mistake, though, this is a comedian who is working in the metaphorical “Goldilocks Zone”: well-written jokes, with perfectly pitched punchlines, delivered with a gleeful spontaneity and easy, conversational style. Wallop is stand-up in its simplest form, where Beckett allows himself a blank slate, with total creative freedom to wander and excite. The result is a delight, and a resounding success.
The “Mouth of the South” returns to the Cliffs Pavilion with Wallop on the 4th and 7th December 2019 and 12th February 2020.
Review: Ashton Moore
“There are hints that his eyes are set firmly on arenas that are as big as that mouth of his” – METRO
“Relentlessly smiley, perpetually grinning Londoner whose unshowy, unpretentious but thoroughly funny shtick has every chance of winning him a big audience” – GUARDIAN
“Relentlessly smiley, perpetually grinning Londoner whose unshowy, unpretentious but thoroughly funny shtick has every chance of winning him a big audience” – GUARDIAN
Rob Beckett is back on tour with a brand-new stand-up show. It’s been a busy few years for the Mouth of the South – and he’s coming to see you to fill you in and make you laugh. WALLOP!
This very cheeky chappie is taking that magnetic persona of his on tour once again – and WALLOP! will visit a litany of venues across the UK and Ireland in 2019-20, starting with Bournemouth in October.
This autumn, viewers are again treated to Rob’s charms as he presents Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials on E4. The 10-part series takes viewers on a fast-paced joyride through the latest memes, digital blunders and celebrity socials from the previous week – including, as the name suggests, some earnest mickey-taking of celebrities’ social media accounts! He will also soon be hosting Head Hunters on BBC One, which sees a pool a pool of quizzers decide whether they want to compete or team-up with fellow contestants in order to win cash jackpots. Elsewhere in Telly World, Rob can be seen on The One Show (BBC One) and Sunday Brunch (Channel 4) in the near future.
Also, this winter Rob will be hosting the Royal Variety Performance – to be aired on ITV in December. It’ll be a joint effort with his pal Romesh Ranganathan, and it’s the first time two comedians have hosted the event together in over 30 years.
Besides being team captain on Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Rob has appeared on: BBC One’s Live At The Apollo and Would I Lie To You?, Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, BBC Two’s Mock The Week, ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, and Sky’s A League of Their Own. You can hear him on Dave’s podcast The Magic Sponge, alongside Jimmy Bullard and Ian Smith, and he has joined his pal Romesh Ranganathan in Sky’s Rob and Romesh Vs. Rob is also the unmistakable voice of Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating.
Rob hosted this year’s Comic Relief and last year’s Children in Need. Other TV appearances include The Jonathan Ross Show, The Graham Norton Show, All Round To Mrs Browns, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, Taskmaster, Hypothetical, The Royal Variety Performance and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
Rob Beckett’s 2015 tour Mouth of The South received fantastic reviews, as he made his way across the country and sold over 80,000 tickets.
Wed 12th Feb 2020
Southend
Cliffs Pavilion
Tickets: southendtheatres.org.uk
More Information: www.robbeckettcomedy.com
This very cheeky chappie is taking that magnetic persona of his on tour once again – and WALLOP! will visit a litany of venues across the UK and Ireland in 2019-20, starting with Bournemouth in October.
This autumn, viewers are again treated to Rob’s charms as he presents Rob Beckett’s Savage Socials on E4. The 10-part series takes viewers on a fast-paced joyride through the latest memes, digital blunders and celebrity socials from the previous week – including, as the name suggests, some earnest mickey-taking of celebrities’ social media accounts! He will also soon be hosting Head Hunters on BBC One, which sees a pool a pool of quizzers decide whether they want to compete or team-up with fellow contestants in order to win cash jackpots. Elsewhere in Telly World, Rob can be seen on The One Show (BBC One) and Sunday Brunch (Channel 4) in the near future.
Also, this winter Rob will be hosting the Royal Variety Performance – to be aired on ITV in December. It’ll be a joint effort with his pal Romesh Ranganathan, and it’s the first time two comedians have hosted the event together in over 30 years.
Besides being team captain on Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Rob has appeared on: BBC One’s Live At The Apollo and Would I Lie To You?, Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, BBC Two’s Mock The Week, ITV2’s Celebrity Juice, and Sky’s A League of Their Own. You can hear him on Dave’s podcast The Magic Sponge, alongside Jimmy Bullard and Ian Smith, and he has joined his pal Romesh Ranganathan in Sky’s Rob and Romesh Vs. Rob is also the unmistakable voice of Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating.
Rob hosted this year’s Comic Relief and last year’s Children in Need. Other TV appearances include The Jonathan Ross Show, The Graham Norton Show, All Round To Mrs Browns, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier, Taskmaster, Hypothetical, The Royal Variety Performance and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
Rob Beckett’s 2015 tour Mouth of The South received fantastic reviews, as he made his way across the country and sold over 80,000 tickets.
Wed 12th Feb 2020
Southend
Cliffs Pavilion
Tickets: southendtheatres.org.uk
More Information: www.robbeckettcomedy.com
"Lights up the stage with his magnetic personality (not to mention the dazzle from his teeth)" –
MAIL ON SUNDAY
MAIL ON SUNDAY
